Pimchanoke Balankura

Pimchanoke Balankura discusses high-class tea and romantic misunderstandings with Jason Changroongreun as they dine at La Bottega di Luca

chef/ owner Luca Appino

Pimchanoke Balankura, also known as Louktarn, is in the midst of her photo session, smiling coyly and arms akimbo, in a dove-grey dress and a translucent jade bracelet that contrasts beautifully with the pumpkin coloured leather highchair. We are in La Bottega di Luca on Sukhumvit Soi 49, where floor-toceiling windows give the restaurant a spacious feel as the reflections of candlelight bounce off the indigo sky, creating a near-replica of Van Gogh’s Café Terrace at Night. Even before we get to the food, it’s clear that chef/ owner Luca Appino has created something pretty special here.

The restaurant has built up a happy band of regular customers

The restaurant soon begins to fill up, and the reasons for its popularity become evident. “I don’t need to take a look. I know it’ll be good!” exclaims one customer as Appino tries to show her the monkfish she has ordered. “We like everything big. Big is our speciality,” smiles the cinnamon-haired chef.

Tuna tartar with cigar smoke

And the food laid before us supports his claim. We begin with fresh, garlic-hinted bread made daily in the delicatessen downstairs, before turning our attention to the covered dish that holds our first course. Appino removes the lid and the scent of cigar smoke envelopes us – although the chef refuses to reveal the secret ingredient of the aroma, which reflects his fondness for a Cohiba No 5. The tuna tartar within massages the taste buds with its savour while the accompanying basil has a kick of its own.

Our guest tonight is known for her No 57 white tea, which is inextricably linked to her family heritage. The family name, Balankura, was bestowed by King Rama VI and means the expansion of a great and powerful family in the Pali language. Dr Bancherd Balankura, Louktarn’s grandfather, took a degree in agriculture and subsequently passed on the tea business to the family. The No 57 brand was launched in 2005, and is made with top-quality leaves from Fujian province, in southeast China. The tea is sold in only a handful of exclusive places including the Four Seasons hotel in Bangkok, Harvey Nichols in London, and Le Bon Marché in Paris, although part of her business plan is to extend availability in the near future.

But where did the name come from? “My house number is 57 and it’s just right around the corner from this restaurant,” she explains. Her product range also includes No 57 black tea from Assam in India, made from superior quality leaves. Her tea has garnered attention from fashion powerhouses and magazines such as Vogue, Elle Décor, InStyle, and earned an award from ID magazine.

Although Louktarn is a successful businesswoman, in her private life she can sometimes be a little scatterbrained. For example, her boyfriend proposed to her in Chiang Mai in November, but she didn’t actually realise it at the time. She only worked out what had happened later, when the couple were on their way to dinner – auspiciously, at this very restaurant. “It didn’t seem like a proposal at the time,” she says. “He asked if I wanted to be with him forever. I said of course, why wouldn’t I?” The restaurant remains a special place for the couple, and they come here often to dine à deux.

Spaghetti vongole

Louktarn is especially keen on the wine selection at La Bottega, and Appino’s passion for the subject is evident. The plant pots that decorate the place are filled with wine corks instead of soil. Spaghetti vongole and monkfish appears; the pasta is superb and every slurp of the spaghetti carries the taste of the clams. The meal ends with Appino’s special zuppa inglese, a dessert that hovers somewhere between Italian tiramisu and (as the name suggests) English trifle.

Louktarn notices the minimalist designs on the flatware, which are elegant but at the same time not so showy that they might distract from the artistry of the food. Their simple, restrained style reminds her a little of the packaging of her tea brands, which is based on a simple penand- ink decoration that extends to her range of condiments made with unusual ingredients. But she has no time to tell us more, as family business summons her home. Farewells are made, but then the door swings open again and she’s back. “Actually, I forgot to tell you, I just found out last week I have Persian ancestry,” she beams. “You know, maybe that’s also the root of my passion for tea.”